CS3604 - Professionalism in Computing - Dr. Hartson - Fall 2002

Writing Assignment #1

Résumé, cover letter, and career plans statement

Due dates:

See calendar.

Learning objectives:

To help you get started with the CS professional activities involved in job hunting and interviewing.

Length:

3 pages + Cover Sheet (for grading)

Subject:

Résumé, cover letter, and career plans statement

Audience:

Potential employer

Sources:

On-line sample résumé and sample cover letter

Honor Code statement:

The Virginia Tech honor code is in effect for all work. This means that this writing assignment is to be done alone, without help from someone else. Exceptions: Getting help in your writing from the Writing center is an important exception, and is always encouraged. Further, this application of the honor code is not intended to interfere with the free exchange of ideas and peer assistance that support learning, including general discussions about the assignment and the type of writing involved with other students, the instructor, and/or the GTA.

Plagiarism Warning:

NOTE about plagiarism: We will be especially zealous in prosecuting Honor Court cases involving plagiarism, especially those where material is taken from other students or from the Web or Internet. Plagiarism of any work from a current or former student in this course is considered to be an honor code violation. Through the use of peer evaluations and collaborative development, and the use of the WWW, there is a strong possibility that you will be exposed to concepts and ideas that you can use in your own work. Getting permission to use those ideas and concepts from the originator (except when it is already in the public domain) and/or giving appropriate acknowledgment in your own work circumvents a charge of plagiarism.

The Task (What to do):

You are to create a one-page résumé and a sample cover letter as an application for employment. You are also to write a career plans statement.

Breaking it down into steps (How to do it):

You will write the first draft of this assignment (résumé, cover letter, and career plan statement) before we discuss the topic in class. Use the on-line sample résumé and sample cover letter as examples to follow. Select a company from a Web site, personal experience, or a Career Service employment bulletin as the target recipient for your cover letter. If you do not have the name of a company contact person, invent a name. You are building a template for future cover letters. This assignment will be heavily graded on mechanics, style, and tone.

It is important that you understand that the term "first draft" here does NOT mean "rough draft". In fact, it is the opposite, the first draft is expected to be the very best writing you can do. The iterative writing process is designed to make your final draft even better. In a one-semester course like this, we have to compress the process from what it would be in the real world, where it is not uncommon for a journal article, for example, to undergo 20 iterations over a period of six months! At least this will follow the spirit of that kind of iterative writing.

The résumé must be prepared in HTML format so that you may post it on your own personal web site, if you have one (and you should!). Print the HTML file on paper and bring to class on the due date. Make sure that your URL is clearly printed as a header or footer on the printed page. If you do not have a web site for posting your résumé, bring it to class as an html file on a floppy disk (no viruses, PLEASE) in addition to the printed version.

Then write a half-page statement of what your career plans are. In what position do you plan to start, and how do you plan to progress from there? What do you anticipate will be your job description in ten (10) years time?

The various different drafts:

There are really three drafts for this assignment.

Early ungraded draft, to bring to class for discussion

The first one you hand in the first day we discuss the topic in class, mainly in case we need an example as part of that class discussion. This first draft will not be graded, but you are expected to bring it to class as a possible input to our discussion. We won't grade this version or hand it back, so you don't need to include it (as a previous draft) when you hand in the next draft.

Assignment #1a, first draft to hand in for grading

Following any discussion in class, you are to revise your existing résumé, cover letter, and/or career plan statement based on anything you learn in the class discussion and hand it in as Writing Assignment #1a, on the due date (see calendar) for that assignment. It is important that you understand that the term "first draft" here does NOT mean "rough draft". In fact, it is the opposite, the first draft is expected to be the very best writing you can do. The iterative writing process is designed to make your final draft even better.

You are required to have two proofreaders go over your first draft of this assignment and mark it up with specific suggestions for revisions (not just make general comments). Your proofreaders must sign the grading form.

Deliverables (stapled together in this order, please):

Grading form, as cover sheet, with first two lines filled out and signed by two proofreaders (Do not confuse the Cover Sheet, with the Cover Letter!)
Your first draft of your résumé (printed form of your résumé from an html file)
Your first draft of the cover letter to convey your resume to a prospective employer
Your first draft of your half-page career plans statement
Two copies of an early version of each marked up by proofreaders

Assignment #1b, final draft to hand in for grading

Based on feedback from the GTA and instructor, revise your assignment as needed and hand a "final" version in as Assignment #1b on the due date. Proofreader signatures not required for the final draft.

Deliverables (stapled together in this order, please):

Grading form, as cover sheet, with first two lines filled out (Do not confuse the Cover Sheet, with the Cover Letter!)
Your final draft of this assignment (printed form of your résumé from an html file)
Your first draft of this assignment, the copy graded by us (we want to be able to see any marks we made on it)
URL for your site on which the résumé is posted (if it exists)
Cover letter to convey your resume to a prospective employer
Your half-page career plans statement

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------